Online: ISSN 2784 – 0360 | ISSN – L 2784 – 0360 | Print: ISSN 2784 – 0379 ISSN-L 2784 – 0360

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Ivănescu Larisa Maria

Establishing the Distribution of West Nile Virus Outbreaks in Romania by Using Climatic Scenarios

Dec 8, 2023 |

Liviu Dan Miron, Larisa Maria Ivănescu, Raluca Mîndru, Simona Mătiuț, Gabriela-Victoria Martinescu, Ilie Bodale

ABSTRACT. West Nile virus (WNV) is a re-emerging zoonotic pathogen that represents a threat to both human and animal health. It is difficult to estimate the impact of WNV in the future, although many of the climatic factors influencing its spread have been identified. In this study, we used bioclimatic indices to estimate those periods that favour the growth of vector mosquito populations and the incubation periods for the virus. To this end, we studied the climatic changes in the Romanian regions where cases of WN infection have been reported. Simulations were carried out for 2100 based on long-term scenarios. Identifying the bioclimatic conditions which can cause WNV outbreaks in Romania is necessary to anticipate and thereby prevent future epidemics. However, no extraordinary weather events were registered in the years with WNV outbreaks which could explain such a high number of cases. Thus, in the High Scenario (which will occur if actions to control (GHG) gas emissions are not taken or implemented effectively), the hatching period is extended until November, with the risk that adult mosquitoes are active throughout the year, ensuring a high survival rate of the virus within mosquitoes. In addition, in the High Scenario, the transmission period of the virus is extended from April to October, which underlines the need to establish monitoring and control programmes for both mosquito populations and the spread of the virus among the animal and human populations.

Keywords: climatic change effects; mosquitoes; temperature long-term projection; West Nile outbreak predictions.

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Effective Diagnostic Techniques in Borrelia Burgdorferi Infestation in Dogs

Feb 9, 2023 |

Maria Larisa Ivănescu, Gabriela Martinescu, Liviu Dan Miron

ABSTRACT. Borreliosis or Lyme disease is a disease transmitted by ixodidae ticks during feeding on blood (Ixodes pacificus and Ixodes scapularis in the USA, Ixodes persulcatus in Asia, Ixodes ricinus in Europe) and is widespread in the entire northern hemisphere. In Romania, the geographic distribution and prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato was 1.4% in 41 counties, with a prevalence between 0.75–18.8%. B. burgdorferi sensu lato. had a prevalence of 3.8%, being found inside ticks in 55 of 183 localities. Successful treatment and full recovery can only be achieved through early diagnosis. The clinical and serologic diagnosis of Lyme disease is particularly difficult because of the phenotypic heterogeneity within and among spirochete species. A case study is presented in this paper: an eight-year-old male Yorkshire terrier dog, which was diagnosed positive for Lyme disease, based on a test which uses a peptide called C6 and which comes from the VlsE protein of B. burgdorferi, used to detect antibodies in dogs. The results demonstrate the reliability of the commercial SNAP 4Dx Plus Test for B. burgdorferi, which uses C6 to differentiate antibodies produced by natural infection from antibodies formed after vaccination. In addition, using real-time PCR, the diagnosis was negative, confirming the results from the literature, according to which the PCR technique is only recommended for research, the positivity percentage being low, especially when the sample is blood (0.1%). We conclude that the tests for the detection of antibodies specific to Lyme disease are recommended and useful.

Keywords: Lyme disease; antibodies; real-time PCR.

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© by the authors; licensee Journal of Applied Life Sciences and Environment, Iasi, Romania. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)